Entropy quanta?

I was thinking about this the other day.

"Entropy" is such a hard thing to describe. Some called it the level of order in a system. Other called it the level of energy available for work in a system. I guess the two definitions could somehow match one another - a system in complete disorder would not have much energy available for work.

Anyhow. Let's stick with "disorder" as our definition for now. If my fellow physicists could make an argument to clarify it, please do so.

Imagine you have a lead ball. A big lead ball. No dirty jokes please. Now, there is a thing, in physics, called Quantum tunelling. An electron can possibly jump an obstacle, due to quantum jitter. Notice how quantum jitter (background quantum noise, zero point energy, whatever you want to call it) looks a whole lot like disorder entropy? Think about it. With passing time, an atom can drastically lose "order", as its electrons behave more and more erratically, thanks to a "quantum" phenomenon.

Overall, the total weight of the ball of lead would, slowly but surely, change.

Did you guys see the news? They have to come up with a new way to define the Kilogram! Yes sir. The official 1 kilogram weight, used to act as an international reference, is becoming heavier.

Could it be that there exists a quanta of entropy, a discreet until of disorder, that objects would emit? Think of an air party balloon with a tiny hole in it. The more air it has, the more leaks out of the hole. Similarly, the more you push on that balloon, the more leak out. More mass energy would lead to higher production of entropy quanta.

So far so good?

Now, my INSANE proposition! I hope you're ready to flame me, because this is just preposterous.

I propose that those quanta of entropy can directly interact with photons. More specifically, it has an attractive force on photons.

Ever wondered why light bends near a large mass? Some say spacetime dilation. Some add dark matter to that. But what if entropy itself, "radiation" from pure mass, actually secretly had a hand in this?

What if the universe was as poetic? Chaos... attracts the light.

a reply to: swanne

Old theme, a perfect mirror has no entropy but appears as an obstacle in classic physics.

Then all the charm Is broken—all that phantom-world so fair Vanishes, and a thousand circlets spread, And each mis-shape the other. Stay awhile, Poor youth! who scarcely dar'st lift up thine eyes— The stream will soon renew its smoothness, soon The visions will return! And lo! he stays, And soon the fragments dim of lovely forms Come trembling back, unite, and now once more The pool becomes a mirror.

a reply to: swanne

Wouldn't your idea break the laws of conservation of energy?

a reply to: swanne

An electron can possibly jump an obstacle, due to quantum jitter.

It can also possibly jump back.

Overall, the total weight of the ball of lead would, slowly but surely, change.

Overall, the total weight of the ball of lead would remain constant.

I'd say quantum fluctuations in the vacuum are the quanta of entropy. Everything in our universe will eventually be reduced to these fluctuations.

originally posted by: swanne
Did you guys see the news? They have to come up with a new way to define the Kilogram! Yes sir. The official 1 kilogram weight, used to act as an international reference, is becoming heavier.

According to this article, it's the working standard copies of it that are getting lighter, and the logical explanation for that is every time they are put on a scale they can lose some atoms:

Redefining the Kilogram

the last time they did inspect the real kilogram, they found it is roughly five parts in 100 million heavier than all the working standards, which have been leaving behind a few atoms of metal every time they are put on scales.

I prefer the more logical (Occam's razor style) explanation.

However redefining the kilogram is a good thing. It was the last SI unit based on a physical standard, all the other physical standards had already been replaced.

So... Bottom line, no Entropy Quanta?

a reply to: swanne

The arrow of time is determined by entropy since entropy always increases with time.

A prominent model was introduced by Piero Caldirola in 1980. In Caldirola's model, one chronon corresponds to about 6.27×10−24 seconds for an electron.[4] This is much longer than the Planck time, which is only about 5.39×10−44 seconds.

The chronon model is claimed to make it easier to explain quantum decoherence.

The published limit for synchronizing atomic clocks is closer to a chronon rather than Planck time.

Unless they declassify the truth we will likely never know.